Site of Rowlandson Garrison

One of the most poignant markers I encountered in Lancaster commemorates the site of the garrison house of Reverend Joseph Rowlandson, where one of the most dramatic episodes of King Philip’s War unfolded. On February 10, 1676, during an attack on the frontier settlement, Native warriors destroyed much of Lancaster. The Rowlandson home was burned, many residents were killed, and Reverend Rowlandson’s wife, Mary, along with three of their children, was taken captive.

Mary Rowlandson spent nearly three months in captivity before being ransomed and reunited with her family. Her account, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, published in 1682, became one of the earliest and most influential books written in colonial America. Widely read on both sides of the Atlantic, it shaped perceptions of frontier life and Native Americans for generations and established the literary genre known as the captivity narrative.

Mary Rowlandson spent nearly three months in captivity before being ransomed and reunited with her family. Her account, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, published in 1682, became one of the earliest and most influential books written in colonial America. Widely read on both sides of the Atlantic, it shaped perceptions of frontier life and Native Americans for generations and established the literary genre known as the captivity narrative.

Today, the marker preserves the memory of an event whose echoes reached far beyond Lancaster and became part of the earliest literature and history of colonial America.